Exodus 24:1-11

GOD’S WORD Translation

The Promise Sealed with Blood

24 The Lord said to Moses, “You and Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and 70 of Israel’s leaders come up the mountain to me and worship at a distance. ² Moses may come near the Lord, but the others may not. The people must not come along with Moses.”

³ Moses went and told the people all the Lord’s words and legal decisions. Then all the people answered with one voice, “We will do everything the Lord has told us to do.” ⁴ So Moses wrote down all the Lord’s words.

Early the next morning he built an altar at the foot of the mountain and ⌞set up⌟ 12 sacred stones for the 12 tribes of Israel. ⁵ Then he sent young Israelite men, and they sacrificed bulls as burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to the Lord. ⁶ Moses took half of the blood and put it into bowls, and he threw the other half against the altar. ⁷ Then he took the Book of the Lord’s Promise ^[a] and read it while the people listened. They said, “We will obey and do everything the Lord has said.”

⁸ Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people and said, “Here is the blood which seals the promise that the Lord has made to you based on everything you have just heard.”

⁹ Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and 70 of Israel’s leaders. ¹⁰ They saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made out of sapphire as clear and blue as the sky itself. ¹¹ God didn’t harm these leaders of the Israelites. So they saw God, and then they ate and drank.